Break the Ice
by stopdroprollandwrite
Summary: A new threat approaches the Kingdom of Arendalle: 'Cybugs' - unlike anything anyone has seen before. They're monsters of magic. Magic just like what Queen Elsa is capable of. Stuck with an unlikely partner, she be able to use her powers to protect the people she loves, or end up just hastening the destruction of her kingdom?
1. Difficult Times

(A/N: Originally posted on AO3, I've decided to also post this here in the hopes to get higher traffic. Also, hoping this encourages me to be more productive with writing. Eheh.)

* * *

Queen Elsa couldn't believe this. According to her army's scouts, flying monsters had been sighted just beyond the North Mountains. And like any other normal human being, she was terrified of them.

But she did her best not to show it. The last time she unleashed her fears - well, it hadn't gone down very well for the kingdom.

She tried to think of other things. Cheerful things. Fortunately, there had been one thing in particular keeping her spirits up for the past few weeks and it was sitting right on the top of her head... literally.

Just a few months ago she had been presented with a new crown. Of course, it had been no shameless affair after everyone found out she practically _threw _her old crown away in the mountains - but then her people surprised her. Not only did Arendalle's metalworkers replace it, but they had taken the opportunity to carve snowflakes on the frame around each jewel in recognition of their queen. The jewels sparkled and gleamed radiant blue, her favorite color.

Elsa loved it. And apparently, she wasn't the only one who felt that way - according to Anna, quite a lot of townsfolk had taken to modifying their clothing with snowflake patterns, and blue was in for the latest winter fashion trend.

Elsa sighed and closed her eyes. Crowns and acceptance were fine and all, but time to return to the terrors at hand. What did she have so far?

An entire morning, spent just listening to updates about the swarms. Right.

The individual creatures were specks in the horizon, but they must've been massive to be seen at this distance_. _Arendalle's leading university still couldn't identify the creatures, leading to a job for the defense sector: for the past few weeks she had been sending her best men and women to retrieve whatever samples they could get.

So far, none of them have returned. Elsa knew that sooner or later, she was going to have to put her kingdom under a state of national emergency.

There were whispers across the hall and Elsa opened her weary eyes. The only other people in the throne room were the four guards by the entrance doors. One of them was shaking his head insistently, another two arguing, and the fourth trying to stand as still as possible.

Even as a child she had rarely seen the entrymen break formation. Whatever the matter, it had to be urgent enough to agitate them in her presence.

She leaned forward on her throne. "Please, speak freely."

They gave no indication to hearing her - to no surprise, with an upbringing that had her unused to talking in large spaces. She had to repeat it, louder. Realizing they were caught, the guards' expressions changed and gave her the notion this was related to some certain mystical powers she was capable of.

She was right. One of the younger guards rubbed his forearms. "It's just that, Your Majesty…" His voice echoed across easily, having no trouble with his own social communicating skills. "… don't you think it's getting rather cold in here?"

White fog escaped from his mouth as he spoke.

Elsa blinked and realized that in her distress, the temperature had dropped by at least twenty degrees. She disguised her growing alarm with an uncertain smile, and, in a tiny intake of breath, sucked all the cold back into her being. The guards visibly relaxed.

"Forgive me," she said meaningfully. "I was... lost in thought. I wasn't aware that I must've lowered the temperature in the process."

A bow of her head and the steady gaze of her blue, seemingly unwavering eyes won the men back over instantly.

"We did not mean to cause you grief, Your Majesty," the same young one cried. "We are, err, aware it must be hard on you as well."

Intrigued, Elsa asked him how so.

"Well," the guard replied. "I couldn't imagine how I'd cope with a curse like that. It must be horrible. To think how you manage, it's just..."

The other guards shushed him quickly, but the damage was done. Elsa lifted one dark eyebrow, an undecipherable expression on her face.

"A _'curse'_?"

Fortunately, the sudden tension was broken by frantic knocking on the front doors.

"_Elsa, would you let us in? It's urgent!_"

* * *

Princess Anna of Arendalle swooped into the throne room accompanied by two grown men, one of which had recently become a frequent visitor of the palace. The housekeepers would've wept at the sight – all three were accompanied by a huge reindeer of a dark brown coat and massive antlers.

Personally, Elsa didn't mind the reindeer. What did bother her was the presence of the other man.

Bloodied and bruised all over, this stranger hung limp on Sven's back, eyes half-open with pupils dilated and unresponsive. But there was still movement; his chest rose and fell at each breath. Even so, Elsa began to fear he would drop dead at any second.

But miraculously, just as Sven the reindeer stopped before the throne's platform and gave a little shake, the man straightened up. This also revealed the fact that he was dressed in full battle armor. Two of the entrance guards quickly began to approach.

Elsa rose from her throne. "Anna, what's going on?"

Kristoff Bjorgmann, her sister's second (and much more preferable) boyfriend, answered promptly. "We – Sven and me, I mean – found him coming down from the mountains, Your Majesty. Tried bringing him to a doctor, but he insisted to see you instead.

"Anna – the _Princess, _sorry…" The girl in question shot him an amused glance, and he quickly scrunched his nose back at her. "… helped us bring him here. He lost his horse. Said it happened when he ran into Marshmellow."

Elsa frowned. By the armor and insignias, clearly this man wasn't a citizen of Arendalle. He didn't even look like a proper soldier. The form of his plates fit too big for his frame, and the empty scabbard at his side appeared to have carried a sword far greater than what he could have handled with ease. There was another empty scabbard at the other side of his belt, but its looked far too wide for the usual dagger.

It took a moment for Elsa to realize its purpose; it was the holster, oddly enough, of the golden hammer held tight in one of the man's hands. A blue well-worn, wide-rimmed hat sat askew on his head and clashed violently with the outfit.

Ever since the treason of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, these days there had been an increased wariness towards strangers to the Kingdom and the lies they might spew. However, there was no doubt this man had been attacked by the golem. The dents in his armor corresponded with the shape and size of the creature's fists, and she could make out the parts that may have been stabbed by ice crystals.

Even if the man could've in some way mimicked the damage the creature was capable of, there was no way he would have even known the golem existed without encountering it himself. Marshmellow had become one of the closely guarded secrets of the kingdom. Not even a quarter of Arendalle's residents were aware of the ten feet tall bogeyman right in their backyard.

So it only stood to reason that this was most certainly her fault.

The man's eyes met Elsa's. He gave a cry, shuffled off the reindeer, and lowered himself to a proper bow. In an accent too strange to be believed, he exclaimed, "Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am."

He turned to Anna and Kristoff and nodded to them too. "I didn't' think ya'll would take me straight to the queen. Golly, thank you very much. And to you, fella," he added after a faintly annoyed grunt from Sven.

Struggling to remain calm with thoughts of a rampaging snowman in her mind, Elsa stepped forward, extending a gracious hand. "It seems you've been through quite the journey just to get here. I should send one of my staff to get you a chair."

"No, um... I would much rather you hear me out first."

"Very well." Elsa waved one of the soldiers to fetch a chair anyway. "Where do you come from? What brings you here?"

The man realized he was wearing his hat in the presence of royalty. Aghast, he tore it off and clutched it tightly to his chest. "Yessum. I'm Felix Fixer Jr. from Niceland, a village way up north just outside the boundaries of your kingdom. I'm here to… err…"

His face turned ashen and, grimly, he looked to the side. "Truth is, I'm a scout sent ahead of my group. I'd like to ask for Arendalle's help, ma'am, in our fight against the approaching infestation, and for a safe place for our survivors to stay at. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, maybe some of the inns would be so kind to…"

He trailed off, aware of the alarmed reactions coming from almost everyone in the room. Anna was the first to respond, and yanked Felix around by the shoulder. He was only a few inches taller than her.

"Survivors? Civilians? Up in the mountains?"

Felix winced a little at her sudden touch, but managed a few nods.

With that Anna stormed back to the entrance, demanding that someone fetch her a fresh horse. Fortunately, she only managed to get halfway there by the time Kristoff caught up, lifted her several feet into the air, and planted her on her original spot next to his reindeer. Sven eyed her sternly and shifted position to block the path to the exit.

"Hold up. We need to find out what exactly's going on. Wouldn't want to end up slipping on thin ice later." Kristoff's tone was calm and rational, but his face spoke of definite concern. He glanced at Elsa. Receiving a nod that told him it was fine to proceed, he redirected that concern to Felix. "Can you tell us how many of your people are up there? Are they safe from the swarms?"

Felix paused, then a soft, self-assured grin stretched his cheeks. "There are around thirty regular folks up there. But they're safe, I guarantee it. They've a troop of Heriopian soldiers with them. And even if they come across that hefty snow giant y'all call 'Marshmellow', I'm sure _her_ men can handle it."

Elsa wasn't so sure about that last part, but the rest of the room had been more impressed by another part in his reply. Everyone in Arendalle grew up with stories of the Heropian army – knights in shining armor who dedicated their lives to protecting the rest of the world from the monster-ridden isle across the Western Sea. As tales went, those monsters were the magical creations of uncontrolled sorcery long ago.

Elsa blinked._ The swarms_ – of course! They were _monsters from Heropia_. Monsters of magic. And, Elsa realized with increasing horror, monsters just like Marshmellow, which just proved itself _this close_ to capable of killing a fully grown man.

"Your Majesty?"

Elsa returned to the present. Anna had been questioning more about the Heropian soldiers. Felix must have had enough of explaining how his people managed to tag along with them – he was now staring at the queen expectantly for her final decision.

"I see," she said. Unconsciously, her hands folded over her lap and she rubbed her bare knuckles. "I'm afraid I cannot ask any inn to provide the shelter you need for the night. A blizzard is brewing – I am sure all the rooms will be occupied by now."

The hopeful gleam in Felix's eyes began to fade.

"However, as far as I am aware, our kitchen is fully stocked and my palace has a number of guest rooms currently unused. If they will be sufficient to your needs…"

A grin began to stretch Anna's freckled cheeks at the realization of what her sister was implying. Felix gaped as well.

"Y-Yes! Yes, of course!" he exclaimed. "Why wouldn't they be sufficient?"

"Well, they haven't been used in quite some time…"

In a flash, Anna rushed out through a side door.

"… but I'm sure my sister will get the staff right on it," Elsa finished. There was no one who loved having company over more than the queen's little sister. She spared a moment to share a smile with Kristoff and Sven, the latter two buckling down in silent laughter.

Then towards the nearest guard, she instructed, "Get me General Frankfurt and tell him to prepare a dozen of his soldiers for immediate departure. They are to meet Sir Felix's party on their way here, and to provide additional assistance if necessary. They might need it," she added gravely. "Storms in the North Mountains are not to be treated lightly."

She was aware that Kristoff and Sven were giving each other looks again, and cleared her throat. "Additionally," she continued, "kindly inform Gourda to prepare a feast for about thirty to forty people tonight. Make sure we use our best salad plates. Oh, and prepare a room, a bath, and a change of fresh clothes for Sir Felix. It's the least our guest deserves."

Felix began to protest. Elsa ignored him. After all, it was _her _monster that maimed him. He deserved their hospitality. Soon enough, the family butler, Kai, whisked into the throne room to gently coerce their new guest towards the same side door that Anna exited.

However, Felix refused to move from his spot.

"Your Majesty," he declared firmly. "I… _insist _to go back out there with your folk. Ya'll might know the terrain better than I do, but I sure know the exact place I last left them, and the path they're probably taking to go down here. I'd like to make sure they get here safe. Especially..."

He hesitated. "… Especially since my wife's there too, ma'am. She can take care of herself, but I'd like to make sure."

There wasn't much that could argue against changed her orders, and only then did Felix from Niceland allow himself to be led away. Except this time, he was headed towards the stables.

Elsa dismissed the rest of the guards and descended from the platform. At the same time, Anna was carrying her skirts back into the room, panting heavily and exclaiming something about how they were taking the salad plates out again. The princess took a big gulp of air and sprang to her sister's side, grabbing her hands.

"... and they're cleaning the rooms as we speak. Elsa, wait. This is about the people up in the mountains."

Anna paused. Then, carefully, she said, "How do you want us to explain your powers once they get here? You want to handle it by yourself? I mean, it's your show..." She pursed her lips anxiously. "... but I can do a little intro or something. I-If you want me to. I don't want you getting nervous. I had no idea things were so bad back in your coronation - so if there's _anything_ I can do for you now, just say the word."

Elsa smiled. Anna was a lot like this these days, as if trying to make up for not having her sister's back for so many years. It was never her fault; Elsa just wouldn't let her into her life.

This time, she knew not to make the same mistake. "Go ahead with the introduction. I can tell you're just itching to get them worked up."

Anna's eyebrows lifted and she shared her sister's smile.

But despite the warm words, a tiny, nagging feeling persisted at the back of Elsa's mind. After a long pause, Elsa eyed the three – her sister, the sister's boyfriend, and the reindeer – with a fierce determination. "Would you mind accompanying me to the North Mountains? I believe it's time I cleaned up the mess I left behind."


	2. Blizzard Problems

Ralph sniffed grumpily and was rewarded by a rush of cold air into his already freezing lungs. The snowstorm was brutal now, and he could only make out the faint silhouette of the person in front of him - a distance of only ten, fifteen steps away. His boots were ruined and filled with snow, and his face was so frozen over that it ached just to grit his teeth. Their only consolation was the hope that by now, Felix, sent ahead three days ago, would have probably already charmed the people of that capital city Calhoun had been yapping about. He could just imagine the toasty beds, warm fires, and hot meals all prepared for their arrival.

He tried to cough out the cold, with little success. Then he tried burying his face in the lining of his dirt-orange coat, a recent gift already worn to the threads. But snow had already beaten him into the little crevices that could have once provided insulation.

Finally, he simply gave up. It wasn't like he was the priority now anyway. His great arms wrapped even tighter around the bundle of blanket and coats and fur-lined parkas in his arms – maybe he could have stretched one or two of them to fit him if he was careful enough, but he didn't dare. Their current purpose proved far more important.

Buried in the fabrics, a little girl unusually tiny at the age of nine was curled up into a ball and suffering from a dangerous case of pneumonia.

Ralph gingerly lifted a corner of the outermost blanket. She was barely conscious, drifting in and out of delirium while hugging the innermost wrappings over her shoulders. Hating himself for having to do this, he began to violently shake the bundle up and down. Not enough to injure her, of course, but it was just enough that the child opened her eyes wide enough to shoot the most powerful glare she could muster.

"H-H-Hey S-Stinkbrain. What's the big idea?"

The fact that she could still insult him in her condition was a good sign, but it was quickly cancelled out once Ralph noticed her visibly starting to shiver. He adjusted his grip on the girl, repositioning his arms to keep most of the elements from her exposed face.

"Just a wake-up call, kid," Ralph replied. The cheerful tone was forced. "Listen, it's gonna be tough, but I'm going to need you to keep those eyes open until we get to Erenhail city."

"Arendalle," the girl, her name Vanellope, corrected. Her hoarse voice teemed with criticism.

Quite suddenly, she lifted her blanket to her mouth and coughed several times. Some redness seeped along with the stain that went through the cloth, but she didn't seem too aware of it as she pulled it away. Ralph made no comment.

"And n-no need to worry about me. Y-Y-Your breath is so bad, I d-don't think I can sleep for w-w-weeks."

Ralph couldn't resist a little smile. She was lying, of course - no way she could get a whiff of his mortifying halitosis in the screaming winds around them. It was already difficult just to hear what the other was saying. In fact, he had been so focused on hearing what the little girl said to him, it caught him completely off-guard when a completely different voice sounded somewhere to his right.

"You've been falling behind, Wreck-it."

Ralph turned, squinted, and could just make out the image of a striking blond woman alongside him, tall and lean and looking at him with unsurprising disdain. He scowled in response and obediently increased his pace.

But ultimately, Ralph supposed he really couldn't blame her for keeping tabs on them. It was her job, after all, with her troop of soldiers to make sure he and the other Niceland refugees got to their destination safe and sound. That was why the soldiers had their formation arranged all around them since their departure; apparently, the creatures - or 'Cybugs' as the men called it - preferred ambusing in numbers, so it was better to have all sides covered.

Ironically, Ralph wasn't even sure they needed the protection anymore. The last they saw of the cybugs was way, way past - even before they began trekking through the North Mountains. It seemed they were unaccustomed to the intense climate.

However, Calhoun never allowed her men to let their guard down for a second. Everyone knew better than to question the Sergeant's orders. If it weren't for her role, after all, Ralph, Felix, the kid, and everyone in Niceland would have been nothing but deadmeat last week.

"Wasn't meaning to cause trouble," Ralph grunted wearily. "We'll keep up."

"You'd better, you big oaf." Calhoun's gaze lowered to the girl and, with a frown, said, "How is she?"

"I'm fine," Vanellope retorted.

Calhoun smiled wryly. "Wasn't asking you, fidget." Her eyes shot up and glared at Ralph. Ralph hastened to supply an answer.

"It's… getting worse. She can't handle another night, probably," he replied, and realized it definitely hadn't been wise of him to say so right within the girl's earshot. He looked down and he was right - a strange look shadowed her face. Ralph wanted to punch his own face himself.

"But it's not going to come to that," he said with a sudden determination. "Not if I can help it."

At the corner of his eye, Calhoun nodded approvingly. "This is what you get, kid, from not telling us right off the bat. If you spoke up earlier, you could have gotten on our best horse with my man Fix-it and be getting R&R by now." Then she paused, as if something just occurred to her. "Arendalle's not too far ahead," she pointed out. "Maybe a five hour walk - if we're lucky - from where we're standing now. Fidget, can't you just do that little trick of yours to skip yourself the last few miles to the city? Then all you need to do is find Fix-it."

"I-I'll tr-"

In a surprising turn of events, Ralph interrupted with a fierceness that silenced the strong-willed females instantly. "She can't. Vanellope, if you think you'll be able to use your thing to make it to Whats-it-dale or whatever in this condition, then you're an even bigger 'stinkbrain' than I am. Cal, she can't even walk as it is. What if she loses steam halfway? And she doesn't even know exactly where it is - what if she gets lost?"

Indignant, the child tried to lift her head. "I c-can take care of m-"

"You're nine years old, of course you need someone looking after you," Ralph snapped.

"Oh yeah? W-W-Well you oughta-!"

The argument was broken up in its early stages as Calhoun shoved the larger man with her shoulder. After a warning look, she straightened up her already rigid posture and looked ahead. "I'll see what I can do about getting her extra blankets," she decided.

It was an unusual offer, coming the usually ruthless drill sergeant master. But she had shut the kid up and was willing to help; this warmed Ralph up to her enough to offer a bit of advice after his own adventures of asking help for the past two days.

"No good asking from the Nicelanders. They, ah, can be a pretty stubborn bunch without Felix around.."

A cruel look from Calhoun, and Ralph realized who he was dealing with.

"... but I'm sure they'll take you into consideration."

Calhoun proceeded ahead and disappeared once again amidst the snowfall. Only then did Ralph feel the tension in his shoulders fade away.

Even though it had been months past, it seemed his body still hadn't forgotten the harsh beating it received since the discovery that he had foolishly impersonated one of Calhoun's men in his visit to Heropia. It almost felt as if if it weren't for his friendship with Felix, the woman would still be beating him into a pulp over it even now. At the end of the day, it seemed the kid had better luck befriending his friend's wife than he had.

"Hey Knuckles?"

Ralph looked down. The entire child was completely obscured now by the blankets that she shifted around; now only her green, red-rimmed eyes were visible. They looked up to meet his.

"Yeah, kid?"

"... Thanks for the ride."

Despite his face almost frozen solid, Ralph tried to smile back at her. Thirteen months ago, Vanellope had been a stubborn, sassy-mouthed little brat without friend or family in the world. Personality-wise, she hadn't changed one bit. But at least that last part wasn't quite true anymore.

Contented she had the last word, Vanellope turned over and disappeared beneath the sheets. Ralph readjusted his grip, and a sudden boost of energy went into his tired legs. Now more than ever, he had to make sure they got to that Arenwhale place by the end of the night. He raised his head, deciding to call out to Calhoun certainly busy persuading the Nicelanders ahead.

"Hey, can't we go any faster?!"

His cry momentarily seemed to overpower the roar of the very storm. Seconds later, something else filled the air: a blood-curdling roar from somewhere not too far away.


	3. S'mored (Part 1)

Unbeknownst that they were merely a mile away from the refugees on the North Mountains, a berserk Sven reared on his hind legs and brayed to the sky, almost sending the cargo behind toppling into the snow. Kristoff jumped off the sled and ran a comforting hand down the reindeer's coat, a consoling carrot ready in the other.

The sisters disembarked as well. Elsa paused to catch her queenly train from snagging on the sled's sharp edges while Anna, on the other hand, approached the other two in her ankle-high winter coat, her blue eyes darting quickly all around. Even though the blizzard had yet to reach this point, almost everything was already covered with layers and layers of snow. All the white blinded the mere humans to anything out of the ordinary,

She anxiously handed Kristoff another carrot for the reindeer. "What's wrong? Is Sven okay?"

"Don't know..." Kristoff shook his head wonderingly, brow creased with worry. "He never freaks out this strongly. What's the matter, buddy?"

Sven finished off the vegetables but they hadn't done much to calm his nerves. As Elsa joined them he pawed the ground and cried out, nudging his head to the North Mountains, which was almost completely obscured by the blizzard at this point. Kristoff looked back and forth and quickly interpreted the reindeer's meaning.

"_It's Marshmellow_," Kristoff said, becoming Sven's voice by speaking an octave deeper. "_Sounds like he's..._ attacking something?"

Sven nodded frantically. He started glancing behind him as if wishing to go back.

Anna yanked Kristoff's arm, her blue eyes wide. "The refugees."

Suddenly, Elsa's concern for Sven became far outweighed by the prospect of innocent families getting torn apart by the work of her own hand. Distractedly, she picked up her skirts and turned back to board the sled once again.

Anna, meanwhile, put her arms around Sven and looked him dead in the eye.

"Sven, we've got to help those people. Elsa might be the only one who can stop it."

The reindeer didn't look so sure, but his heart was in the right place. He knew that, in the end, he had to be the one bringing the Snow Queen to the danger zone. Any other mode of transportation, and chances were she'd be too late. He turned his head to Kristoff pleadingly.

Kristoff did not hesitate, nor did he break eye contact as he placed a hand protectively on Sven's head.

"Of course I'm coming with. You'll be fine, Sven. I'll buy you a sledful of carrots when we get back."

Sven wore a look swearing he was going to hold Kristoff to his promise the moment they got into a grocer's vicinity.

"Anna! Kristoff!" Elsa was leaning on the front of the sled, biting her lip urgently.

The other two hopped back on the sled. Sven took a deep breath, and then whisked them towards the storm at full speed.

* * *

At this same moment, Ralph was busy doing his best to stay alive face-to-face with a twenty foot giant.

The Nicelanders were useless. They scattered and screamed bloody murder as they dived into piles of snow in the hopes it would shield them. However, it turned out they needn't have worried. The giant only had eyes for the biggest target.

Again and again, a terrified Ralph dodged and backed around, narrowly avoiding a hailstorm of punches thrown against him. He found himself hugging onto Vanellope so tightly, his grip would have left bruises if she weren't covered in blankets.

The snow giant bellowed and tried a different strategy - it swung its arm far to the side and swiped. Ralph went flying sideways before he even knew what hit him. His torso jerked, and he was down.

Fortunately, this wasn't one battle that he had to fight alone. The instincts of Calhoun's soldiers triggered into action the moment they heard the sign of threat. When the monster leapt out of the snow, they had dropped everything save their battlegear, and by the time it had touched ground, they were already in formation for a land-based ambush. Now all they needed were their orders.

But Ralph didn't know any of that. He was busy lifting his dazed, frost-bitten face from the snow, ears ringing, and it was only through some miracle that he heard Vanellope's cry of, "WATCH OUT!" For a split second, he witnessed a great, icy fist embedded with sharp crystals speeding down right to his head.

His eyes widened.

"Sweet mother of monkey-"

Barely, just barely, he rolled out of the way. A shower of ice and snow sprayed after him from the impact of the creature's fist. Ralph swore he could feel the ground trembling from underneath.

_"Wreck-it!"_

Almost silhouettes in the blizzard, Calhoun stood with her men just two meters away, face flushed red in fury. _"Visibility rate is lower than a suicidal scuba diver - so if you don't want to die, get the kid and your sorry behind out of my line of fire!"_

It hit Ralph that he wasn't the only one in danger right now. He bent his head, expecting to see a sick and scared child looking back at him. Instead, his heart stopped. The blankets were empty. _Vanellope._

"Ralph!"

He raised his head. The frost giant moved, and there she was almost invisible in the storm behind it. She was waving, hands high over her head. As if reassuring him - she had gotten out of the way, he didn't have to worry, she was going to be fine.

And she would have been, except the creature still had plans on killing Ralph and was already staging its next attack. It stepped back, creating distance to charge. Another step, not enough. One more, and it was going to stomp on a little girl.

It was if a switch clicked off in Ralph's head.

Dropping the blankets, he leapt to his feet and ran a part of a circumference around the monster, yelling mightily. The monster got angrier, shifting mid-step to correct its trajectory and missing the girl by inches.

Startled, Vanellope fell. She tried to struggle upright, except then was overtaken by a fit of coughing. It'd be near impossible for her to escape the monster's vicinity now.

Ralph knew what he had to do. He dug his black boots into the ground, back bent, shoulders tense. Fists before torso, eyes trained on the twenty-foot opponent, beckoning it with a glare. This time, he wasn't scared. This time, he was ready.

The monster charged and threw a hand forward with a terrible roar, aiming to tear Ralph's head off. Ralph swerved, grabbed the extended limb, and with all the strength in his being he flung the creature high into the air.

_"IT'S IN THE AIR! SHOOT IT NOW!"_ he roared.

The Heropians immediately redirected their strange weaponry to the sky. But that was all - not a single shot was fired.

"What are you doing?!" Ralph cried. He looked and found out the answer himself - the thrown monster had disappeared into the storm. And certainly the men wouldn't shoot without something to aim at.

Swearing under breath, Calhoun reholstered her long-distance shooting device and returned the sword in her other hand to its sheath. She signaled her troops, shouting. "Break formation! Our priority is to get the civilians to safety. _ASAP, ladies - I wanted us out of this hellhole yesterday!"_

Leaving her soldiers to pick up their gear and herd panicking Nicelanders back to a group, Calhoun approached Ralph, who rushed over to Vanellope the moment she announced the change in plans. Listening to the pair, she pieced together what happened. Ultimately, she disagreed so much with those events that she knocked Ralph in the head with a powerful punch and called him something Vanellope shouldn't have heard.

"It's your duty to _protect_ her, you numbskull!" she shouted, waving an angry finger in front of his face. "Dropping her in the middle of a _potential firefight_ - if you were one of my men - which I'm glad you _aren't_ -, I would have kicked you off to get court martialed so fast, your pea-sized brain wouldn't have registered what just happened by the time you get there."

Vanellope, realizing the consequences of her actions, tried to help. "Stinkbrain didn't drop me. It's my fault, Sarge."

Calhoun's look didn't get any softer as she turned her attention to the child. "Your fault or his, you're still his responsibility. And _you! _You are not supposed to make his job harder with all your spontaneous hocus pocus! Quit the surprises."

She straightened up, glaring. Then, remarkably, her expression transformed. First anger, to slight confusion, and then to alarm. She gripped Ralph by the shoulder, speaking urgently.

"Where did you throw?"

Ralph's head was still sore, no thanks to her fist. His head was ringing more than ever now - or was that something else in the actual world? He couldn't tell, but it was getting louder. "W-What're you talking about?"

Calhoun gritted her teeth and leaned in. _"In which direction did you throw the giant?"_

He shrugged and looked up. The sound was getting louder. _Wait, was that someone shouting?_

Just as he was pondering this, a mysterious group of three adults on a sled pulled by a reindeer emerged from the storm, all looking exceptionally harassed. One of them - a slender girl of remarkably ginger hair that it almost appeared orange - stood, raised her hands in a display of non-aggression, and took a deep breath.

"We're here to help!"

Then Marshmellow, still roaring and all, slammed to the earth with the full force of gravity.


	4. S'mored (Part 2)

_What goes up, must go down. _

Ralph thought that, by now, those words should have etched themselves in the scars he had accumulated over a decade in the construction business. But apparently, they didn't, and now he paid the consequences. Cracks split through the ground at the creature's impact, and the biggest one of these tore right beneath the man who threw it.

Then Ralph disappeared from the surface world. As he fell, instinctively, he reached out and grabbed the first thing, the nearest thing, that mattered. An instant later, he hit the ground on his left side. He screamed. Something had shattered in his shoulder, and the pain spread out to every nerve in his body. He was paralyzed.

And it wasn't over. With nothing to stop it, his body shifted and started to roll down a slope. He squeezed his eyes shut.

But if there was a singular fortunate thing to happen in this disaster, it was that plenty of snow had managed to land before he did, obscuring the smaller rocks and providing the least amount of cushioning. But boulder-sized sediments still found a way and pierced through the white blanket. In the end, all he could do was try to keep his head out of the way.

Ralph had been through through his own share of bad falls, but this one took the cake. Finally, his bruised and battered body finally came to a stop on the slate. He was facing upwards, but that's all he knew. Consciousness was fading fast.

He slackened his arms, releasing the little figure trembling against his chest. He couldn't even open his eyes. All he could manage was to release some air from his lungs in the sound of a question barely louder than a whisper.

"Anything broken?"

Aside from some bruises, Vanellope escaped the fall unharmed. The sheets that had originally provided her warmth had become her shield, the layers padding her against the worst of the rock slide.

She told him so. And then, lifting her head and seeing the utter blackness around them, she brought her hands to her face.

"R-R-Ralph. W-What are we g-gonna do?"

Stinkbrain couldn't answer. He simply lay there, unresponsive to the world, his shallow breathing the only evidence he was still alive. 

* * *

The ground cracked and shuddered at the force brought upon by a landing snowman. A great gap replaced the ground where a refugee used to stand - the woman next to him had been luckier, instinctively leaping aside and making it just inches away at the edge.

There wasn't time to watch her reaction to the loss. Suddenly, the storm's ferocity intensified, howling and slamming against them more than ever. Rising slowly, Marshmellow reared its ugly head, eyes gleaming, as if recognizing something much more powerful than just a scent in the air.

Anna was the first to realize what was going on. Leaving Kristoff to shout words of comfort to Sven, she leapt over to the back of the sled and took her sister by the arm.

"Elsa! Elsa, calm down."

But Elsa couldn't. Her eyes were locked on to her creation.

The name 'Marshmellow' couldn't have been more _wrong_ the way it looked now. The beast had grown more than half than its original size - composed of more dangerously sharp ice crystals than snow. It was just seething powerful magic all over - _her magic._

Elsa had gone up to the mountains hoping to tame her creation, or at least to send it far away where it could hurt no one else. But seeing it the way before her now, even she knew that 'control' would be an impossible dream.

It was clear there was only one thing they could do now to stop Marshmellow. And, with all these refugees around, it needed to be done now.

Brushing Anna's hand away, she stepped off the sled.

"Elsa, what are you doing?!"

She did not look back. Instead, she lifted her head to meet her monster's harsh, malicious eyes, putting one foot in front of the other, closing the gap between them. "Let me take care of this, Anna. He won't hurt me."

That was a lie. Only she could feel the magic that had taken on a life of its own inside the creature. It was hungry. Desperate for more. But it made no movement - why would it need to, when its prey was doing all the work by coming closer? 

* * *

Princess Anna watched her sister halt next to Kristoff and the reindeer. She could see from her sister's profile that she was telling them something - but the words that were lost to Anna, almost deafened now by the storm.

Her knuckles turned white on the backrest of the sled's passenger's seat.

Then her sister stepped in the space directly between the monster and the sled.

For a moment, Anna remembered a time when their places had been reversed - just a few months ago, she had been the one standing between a a falling sword and Elsa. The similarities unsettled her. And its was proven for good reason, as she saw Kristoff silently retake Sven's reins.

Grimly, he looked back at her. Anna leaned forward and listened.

"She's going to try to thaw the golem. But if it doesn't work... If something happens... I've been ordered to turn back without her."

* * *

Elsa raised her hands high above her head and tried to focus on the little things she cared about. Her sister, her friends, the castle staff, the citizens of Arendalle. The parents that tried so hard to love her despite all the suffering she was born with. She thought of Olaf, the happy-go-lucky snowman that filled the castle with stubborn joy, brightening her day despite the tiresome deeds and duties of her lifestyle.

She remembered all these things, and felt the warmness in her heart swell up through her arms and into her hands. Relief mixed in with her emotions.

The countercurse was going to work.

Yet the moment it noticed its joints beginning to glow and slate sliding off it's torso, Marshmellow knew what Elsa was up to. It vaulted three meters forward, crashing down once more. The ground rocked beneath the queen's feet.

Uncertain sparks flickered from her fingertips. Elsa struggled to keep her thoughts warm and steady, daring not to tear her eyes away for one second.

_I'm not alone._

Marshmellow leaned closer, hands reaching out. It was only a few feet away now. The ice and crystal shards weren't falling from its body fast enough.

Her breathing changed - shallow, frantic now.

_Calm down._

She wanted to run. To escape. But she couldn't - and not just because she had people to protect, but because her feet had failed her, refusing to move from the spot.

_Calm down, Elsa! You know what love feels like. You can do this!_

Marshmellow's hands were at each of her sides now. Elsa did not even want to think about what could happen if it decided to slam its hands together - but, of course, she couldn't help it.

_Oh no._

Tears started welling up in the back of her eyes. The warm glow disappeared - everything was dreadful again, and so, so cold. Somewhere behind, Anna was shouting, calling out for her. Elsa couldn't understand, but she hoped that Kristoff was holding her back from getting involved.

Marshmellow's magic began to reconstruct itself. It grinned. Swinging both arms outwards, it seemed ready to flatten the woman it once served - but not before one last chance to get as much power as it could out of her. It spoke in a booming growl.

_"YOU... MONSTER."_

Inexplicably, here was a loud noise - or, to be more precise, a cacophony of a dozen bangs, like a ship's cannons had gone off all at once just twenty strides away. Elsa staggered and, subconsciously, threw her arm upwards. This saved her life. A fresh plate of ice sprung right before her and protected her from the flying shattered shards of what was once Marshmellow.

There, not too far across, stood a tall blond woman surrounded by men wearing the same armor of Sir Felix, smoking artillery in their red and gray gauntlets. There were other people behind them as well, fright obvious in their heavily-bagged eyes. The rest of the refugees.

The next thing Queen Elsa of Arendalle knew, the crust beneath her had finally given under the stress. She fell into the earth.

Yet as she descended into the dark with the risk of death so very close at hand, funnily enough, it was Marshmellow's last words that burned the strongest in her mind.


	5. Impressions

One would think it'd be easy to notice one's self caught in the middle of free-falling. However, human consciousness had this funny thing called a short-attention span; by the time Elsa even realized her footing was no longer on solid ground, she was already just nanoseconds from a broken spine on the rocks below.

Luckily, magic had faster reflexes than she did. A great cloud spread out from her body and powdery snow fell fast, assembling a tall pile of snow beneath perfect for landing. Elsa, eyes shut, arms inward, slammed into this feet-first.

For once, the sudden cold bothered her. Her mind plunged into shock and the entire world went still and silent. Then the stillness broke and boulders rained from the sky, crashing all around. The mountain was caving in. And if she stayed any longer, she would most certainly be crushed.

Elsa pried her eyes open. The first thing they were drawn to were jagged crystal shards, all that remained of her snow monster. They glowed a dim blue, sticking out in odd angles from the snow that saved her. Others scattered a bit further around and provided some illumination to the surroundings. She was in some sort of hollow, natural cavern. The space explained why she had yet to be buried alive - there was space for things to fall into. But at the rate things were going, not for long.

But there was nowhere to hide. The cavern walls were sealed, the crack to the surface far out of reach. She wouldn't even dare rock climbing in her condition. There was no way out except -

There! There, just across, was a deep gap in the rocks at the base of a spotted slope. Although it didn't sound inviting to go even deeper underground, at least it could provide shelter instead of waiting to get squashed.

She grabbed the biggest crystal shard she could spot, just a little larger than a serving spoon in the castle, and beat her way out of the magical snow-cushion. Rocks tore at the hem of her dress as she scurried over, but such thoughts sailed over her head. The most important thing to do now was to survive.

Although at each bound, it became apparent that her own early death wasn't the only thing she needed to worry about.

"_H-H-HEEEELP! SOMEBODY HEEEELP_!"

A child?! It came from the gap. Elsa, mind reeling, crouched next to the opening.

"I... I'm here! Are you trapped?"

The shout that escaped her throat didn't sound like her own. It was just like her falter in the throne room - she hadn't raised her voice so much since the day Anna tried to fetch her from the ice palace. Swiping the crystal as far as she could reach in the darkness, a silhouette of a little girl struggling to sit up emerged. Elsa could see her stretching her arms in her direction, as if trying to grasp the light herself.

_"No! Please... Please, ya've got to help!_" The child broke out coughing. She cried out frustrated, but it only seemed to make it worse. Her voice choked and gasped, each wheeze weaker than the last, until it finally ended with silence. She must have passed out.

The staff used to tell a certain story in the castle. Long ago, the 'Spirit of the North Mountains' would trap and suck the souls of travelers that lost their way, never to be seen again. Unlike Anna, rational Elsa never believed in ghost stories. As she imagined what awaited her at the bottom of this dark pit, all she could see was a scared little girl. No one knew better than her just what that could feel like.

"Listen," Elsa called frantically, just in case she could still be heard above the crashing around her. She unlatched her cape and pulled her skirts up as far as her knees, tying the cape taut around her waist and preventing the folds from dropping. "You'll be fine. But the area here's caving in. I'm going to climb down to you, and we'll wait for the rocks to stop. Then I'll find some way to get us out..." Even she could tell there wasn't enough conviction in her voice. "... I promise!"

The girl did not reply.

Elsa positioned her feet, noticing for the first time that she was barefoot. Her shoes were probably lost when she landed. No matter. She concentrated, and sheets of ice formed around her feet - not extravagant this time, just enough to get her to the bottom of the ravine. It had to be enough. Taking a deep breath, she went down the rabbit hole, praying that this time she knew what she was doing.

* * *

If she tripped, then she was done for.

Compared to everything else she had to worry about, that single thought seemed the least likely to set off her powers. A city under siege and snowstorm. A rampaging monster. Trapped underground. And now suddenly responsible for a dying child? It was just too much. So, balancing her frozen footwear above each stone on her downwards hopscotch deeper into the earth, she was simply focused on her footwork and went back to doing what she tried to do best.

_ Conceal. _

Worry had always been one of her weaker emotions.

_ Don't feel. _

The last thing they needed was another eternal winter.

_Don't trip. _

And she didn't. Once sure her feet were standing on solid ground, Elsa started to navigate.

It was almost pitch black down there, but thanks to the faint pulse of the crystal, she found her. And that the girl definitely wasn't some ghost. Neither was she a pretty sight. Smothered in shadow, the child was hunched over, the bottom half of her face smothered in mittens, her coat and dress wrinkled and unwashed all over. Her black hair had matted into chunky tangles, and Elsa could detect a certain, penetrating stench from her direction. Personally she was unfamiliar with it, but she had the correct assumption that it was the human smell of a lack of a decent shower.

Even though it was little more than a silhouette, it was clear that the girl wasn't moving. Elsa hurried over, the ice crystal digging into her hand. Sensing her agitation, a spark of magic traveled down her arm, and the crystal shone a little brighter than before. The radius of light widened and illuminated, and suddenly the snow queen could even see the rock platform the sick child rested on

Elsa froze. That wasn't a rock platform. It was a disheveled, grimy mess of a man, sprawled upwards, the little girl lying helplessly on his chest. Although he was unconscious, the mere sight of him already sent shivers up Elsa's spine. The child said she needed help, but not because she was trapped.

_ Perhaps she had been kidnapped_.

As absurd as it sounded, this was the only thing that seemed to make sense in the mind of the young queen. It wasn't that she was young or naive - rather, she was too inexperienced. The only thing she had that could qualify for experience were other stories of her childhood - the ones narrated by her very own parents.

_ Stranger danger, _ the king and queen warned. They always had descriptions to get their point across: strangers were vile, wicked men (especially those with unkempt facial hair, warned mother), large and imposing and always seeking out little princesses to kidnap and take hostage of. _Bad guys_ never to be trusted.

This man looked just like one of them.

Elsa couldn't wait for the girl to recover. She lifted the child in both arms, putting her little arms over her shoulders, and, struggling to keep balance, backed away from the gruesome fellow. Her ice-layered foot hit something different from the unusual hardness of rock. It gave out a sort of clang. And it also appeared to have jostled the child awake. Then, for some reason, she started fighting back

"H-Hey..." her hoarse voice demanded softly. "What's the big idea?"

"I'm trying to help you."

"_He _needs help," Vanellope argued. But Elsa did not hear her. Sickness had taken its toll, and the dryness in her throat prevented the words from coming out more than a whisper. Instead, there was another sound midst the tumbling rocks above that took up the queen's attention, one that was steadily increasing.

It was the breathing of the incapacitated man on the ground. Without anything weighing down on his chest, there was nothing to constrict his lungs from regaining the oxygen it needed to regain consciousness.

The man groaned. And then, with great effort, he began to sit up.

* * *

Out of all the words in the world, the combination of 'stay' and 'back' did not make the most comforting expression in the ears of a man with a mild concussion. Ralph, cradling his temple with his right hand, opened his eyes to find the meaning of the words.

Through the darkness, there was a person backing away from him - he couldn't make out the features, but he guessed woman by the voice. Her hand glowed for some reason, but that wasn't important. Instead, what set off the alarms in his head was the sight of her carrying a certain someone farther and farther away from him.

"Stay back!" Elsa repeated. Her voice wavered - the man had started struggling to his feet. Swaying, he lifted his hands. Elsa was struck by their size - his hands were unusually large, compared to the rest of his body. Not so large to the point of deformity, but they definitely looked the kind that wouldn't find much trouble in strangling someone to death.

Another jolt of fear sent wisps of magic crackling in the air directly around her. To anyone else, it would have looked like blue sparks coming off her.

Ralph saw these. "Kid!" he shouted.

Vanellope, as if invigorated by the call, began to struggle against Elsa's hold. Faintly, she called back. "Ralph!"

Finally, Elsa realized her mistake. The sparks, as if disappointed not to be needed in a struggle, redirected themselves to the crystal in hand. Its light grew brighter twofold. Light spread to the rest of the cavern. Finally, the so-called villain and the young queen had a good look at one another.

Elsa's first impressions had not failed her . Even out of the shadows, he really did resemble the sterotypical villan in her childhood stories. But now, she could also see something else. The left shoulder of his outer jacket was almost entirely stained with red.

_ Is that... blood?_

Meanwhile, the man called Ralph hadn't been expecting this mysterious, potential kidnapper to be looking so... dainty. Seeing the look on her face, he also turned his attention to his shoulder. He grimaced. The blood loss could explain why his head had not yet stopped spinning.

He closed his eyes a moment, willing the dizziness to subdue. When he opened them again, the woman was slowly approaching. She stopped two meters away, arms still wrapped around Vanellope protectively.

Elsa swallowed nervously, but kept her stare steady. "... Are you related to this girl?"

Ralph's hands closed into fists. "No. Are you?"

"N-No. But you don't look li..."

Before she could finish, the child had pushed herself from Elsa. She muttered something.

"What'd she say?" Ralph demanded.

"She... asked for water."

Without another word, he unbuttoned his jacket, revealing a satchel that went down to his waist. Out of it came a casket made out of animal hide. He walked over to close the two meter gap, but grudgingly stopped an arm's length away, as this was enough to offer the container over.

The child drained its contents entirely, although it didn't look like there was much to begin with. Satisfied, she let out a sigh, rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, and fell asleep.

Ralph tried to repack the empty casket with his injured arm, and then with a wince, transferred the job to his other arm. "It's not like I'll be able to carry her properly now anyway," he grumbled. Resigned to the situation, he lifted his eyes to Elsa.

"Lady, I don't know who you are or why you're here. And right now, I don't care. The kid's name is Vanellope. She has a fever and it's getting worse. Can you help us out of here, and get her to the city?"


	6. Trapped

To his mild surprise, the strange woman agreed to his request with a jerk of a nod. Ralph was glad of this - not only did he not want to resort to violence to get Vanellope back, but he had a feeling the lady could give him a run for his money with her apparent abilities. Ralph was no stranger to magic.

But that was something for another time. Because of the increase of light thanks to the lady's handheld crystal, they discovered a set of low tunnels that connected to the walls of the cavern. They were what's left of the entrances and exits available to them now. The one the lady passed through had been blocked out, sealed by a rock that effectively reached all edges. He checked.

"They're probably our only ticket out of here," Ralph commented grimly as he shuffled back to more even ground. "Hey lady, you lead the way."

The woman didn't say anything, save through the 'i-don't-think-so' look on her face.

"Unless you're willing to lemme hold the flashy thing so we can see where we're going."

She stiffened up.

"Yeah, I didn't think so."

Thus they proceeded into the mountains.

The tunnels were definitely a challenge. Not only were they cramped (now even Ralph knew how bad he was capable of slouching) and paved with difficult terrain (several times the lady fell backwards, just as well for Ralph to shove her - and Vanellope - back to proper footing), but they also covered a surprising distance. They branched off just as regularly as threads of a spider's web. Usually they simply looked for the paths going upwards. Other times, the forks in the tunnel went more horizontally. Those times, Ralph took over and chose which way to take.

It was not a well-known fact, but Ralph had a fair share of underground caves back in the day. And he was glad for it. Experience taught him to make use of whatever resources he could find. He kept the coat, despite a quarter of it ruined with blood, as it was better to be dirty than to be cold. He picked up the dented Heropian shield recently upturned by the feet of the lady, also a victim of the fall he had with Vanellope. He figured there ought to be a good use for it later. Even if there weren't, it sure felt safer with it around. He strapped it to the good side of his back.

And he definitely made use of the most important resource, even though she seemed determined to keep at least a meter's walking distance between them. Despite the fact this oddly well-dressed mystery lady clearly despised him, for some reason, he appreciated that she seemed just as concerned with Vanellope's welfare. Right now, he didn't want to make friends. He just needed to get Vanellope somewhere safe.

"These can't be natural," he grumbled, his right hand grasping his injured arm. He could hear himself clearly now. The rock slide had faded away in their wake, and he had gotten used to the howling of the blizzard on the surface world. It was like a faint, annoying buzz in his ears now. "They keep on branching off and the walls are too smooth... Who in the right mind would dig these all the way up here?"

The woman mumbled something. Ralph saw his chance - he didn't like her, but he needed the conversation.

"What'd you say, lady?"

She cleared her throat nervously. "Uhm... Trolls. Mountain Trolls. Legend says a few tribes had split from those in the forests. They prefer to live underground."

"Trolls," Ralph repeated.

"I've met them," the lady retorted defensively. Without thinking, she whisked her head towards him, challenging him to question her word. But then her face scrunched up when they made eye contact. No surprise. Ralph turned away first.

"You happen to know if your 'trolls' put up signs for an exit?"

"No."

Ralph scowled. "Fine, let's keep moving. Take a left over there."

The conversation died as quickly as it had started. In time, the only sounds he could hear were his own grunts and hisses. A bone in his upper arm had broken and pierced the skin. It wasn't that bad an injury, all things considered. Nevertheless, it irritated him. He, of all people, should've been ready for it. If only there had been some way to anticipate the fall, then... well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Ralph forewent constructing a sling or a makeshift support. There would be time for that later.

He noticed that Vanellope, now asleep, was beginning to sag in the woman's arms. She was struggling, and stopped to rest when they reached an intersection. Ralph didn't bother pointing out a way to direct her this time. It was a relatively clear-cut way anyway, as only one path appeared slanting to higher ground. In a flash of pity, he was about to offer to carry the girl for a while with his good arm.

But then the woman wheeled in another direction. She stepped forward, and the ground beneath her shoe glowed a brilliant blue. Bright lines spiraled outwards - Ralph blinked and he realized that they were forming the pattern of an intricate snowflake. Slowly, with the other hand hugging Vanellope close, the lady reached out with the ice crystal and, as if casting a spell with a wand, flourished upwards.

Snowflakes sprung from the pattern, dancing and twirling in midair in a stunning performance. She flicked the crystal down, and the snowflakes drifted as they naturally would... before riding the air currents in the direction opposite her. This confirmed the woman's suspicions.

"There's a breeze coming down this tunnel."

In other words, high chance of an opening to the outside world. A great smile of relief emerged on Ralph's face, and he released the breath he had no idea he had been holding.

"Well, what're we waiting for?"

* * *

This time, Elsa led the way. Not that she gave this Ralph person much of a choice. The wails of the storm were starting to get louder at each wide stride - a good sign. It didn't matter what would be the size of their ticket to the surface - it was the first time Elsa allowed herself to get her hopes up.

They found the source of the breeze in a dead end. A multitude of sound burst through a shaft in the wall above a mound of rock and soil and just beneath the curve of the ceiling, about the size of an outstretched hand. It had a deep cylindrical shape, as if someone had drilled through, then gave up just when they hit the exposed side. She was about to stretch and totter to try to peek through, but the bigger man barged forward and squinted through the crack. He had to shout above the symphony of the outside elements.

"You were right! It's all snow out there. It looks like the blizzard's gotten even stronger. I can't... see anyone. I can't see _anything._" He stepped back, frustrated. Then, without warning, he slammed his entire frame to the side of the crack, his injury facing away from the impact. But with all the pain, exhaustion, and blood loss, Ralph couldn't handle it. He fell to the ground, shouting profanations into the air.

And because of the same tiredness and stress, instead of concern, Elsa found herself believing that to be the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen. And apparently, someone else thought the same.

"S-Swearing in front of a _child_, Stinkbrain?"

Somehow Ralph heard her through the storm and the self-made commotion, and shot up to his feet. Simultaneously, Elsa checked on the girl's fever. It was still going strong.

"I'm fine," Vanellope insisted blearily, pushing the hand away. She nudged her head slightly as it occurred to her that she hadn't been hanging on to the person she thought it was.

"Oh right... Who's this?"

Elsa saw Ralph look at her, and knew he was wondering the same thing. But, suddenly, something far more important happened that delayed any formal introductions.

"...saaaa! Elsa, where... know you're there... Please! Elsa! S-S-Say something!"

The young queen's eyes widened and she rushed to the hole in the wall, Vanellope jittering along with her.

"Anna! Anna, I'm here!"

"...sa! Elsa! Answer m-me!"

The wind was too loud. Elsa could barely hear her sister's voice over it, and it would be nigh impossible for Anna on the other side, with it blasting from all directions. Shouting would get them nowhere.

Luckily, there was always the other option.

* * *

Only four people remained on the surface of the North Mountains now.

The refugees were long gone at this point. Even after Marshmellow had been blasted into smithereens by the strange Heropian weaponry, it was like they expected more murderous snowmen to come jumping out at the slightest opportunity. They rejoiced and immediately accepted when help arrived in the shape of Arendalle's army, and by now there was at least one Heropian or Arendalle soldier and a horse assigned to each family on their remaining journey to the city.

Anna miserably dug her hands under her armpits, and allowed Kristoff to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to his thick wool coat. Her voice had gotten hoarse, but no surprise there. They had been doing nothing but trying to overpower the sound of the blizzard for the past two hours.

She glanced sideways at Kristoff, fully aware that she wasn't the only one worried sick in the cold. "H-How're you doing?"

Kristoff scrunched his face a little, equally distraught. "... I'm holding up."

"Me t-too." Anna tried to smile, but her heart just wasn't in it. Kristoff rubbed her shoulder appreciatively anyway.

The only people who remained to help them in their search seemed to be the stern head guard of the Knights of Heropia and her husband - who, incredibly, turned out to be Felix the scout. Both of them had horses. Felix had taken his out to search further off. Sergeant Calhoun, on the other hand, stayed close to the couple as she seemed to take Anna's welfare as her responsibility, especially after her husband informed her not only of her identity, but also the identity of the woman she was searching for.

The Sergeant stayed on her horse, her eyes trained on a strange black device in her hand. Its upward panel flashed continuously with strange symbols. Every so often she would frown and curse and smack the corner of the device against the metal plates on her arm, muttering things about the blizzard interferred with the signals. She never seemed to have anything to say to the two of them.

"Anna," Kristoff said as they veered towards a cliff wall, a place he hoped they haven't checked yet. "Why did you send all the Arendalle soldiers back to the city? We could've used their help."

Anna went quiet for a moment and rubbed her face, numb in the cold. "... We can't let them know Elsa's missing. You know she's already in enough trouble as it is."

"Ah."

Suddenly, just as she was lowering her mitten, Anna noticed a large, unnatural whirlwind of snowflakes dancing at the base of the cliff. And what followed afterwards happened just as suddenly - a loud authorative order for them to get down on the ground.

"_TASTE IT!" _

Blinding rays of power shot past their heads a split second after they had ducked and blasted the rocks of the cliff.

"_Stop!" _Anna screamed, her eyes wide in realization. She fought out of Kristoff's protective grip and leapt to her feet, cutting short the soldier's line of fire._ "Stop it!" _

Scowling, Calhoun drew back her rifle. "In case you didn't notice, _Your Graciousness_, we were almost ripped apart by a twenty-foot Yeti. I'm not taking any chances. I already know one monster that respawns like a plague."

"That's no monster!" Anna glared, her hands balling into fists in fear and worry. "That's my sister!" With a vicious yank, she practically planted Kristoff back on his feet, and then began plowing over to the site.

The damage was bad - Calhoun's shots had rattled the entire side of the cliff. There were sounds of things falling inside - and they had to be _big _things considering they were able to hear them at all. The only good that seemed to come out of the soldier's trigger finger was that it cleared an entire two meter radius of snow from the base of the cliff, revealing a sizable hole just above the ground. Just the sight of it sent the warmth of hope rushing through the princess' system.

But just when they were a few feet away, Kristoff grabbed her hand and squeezed it urgently. Anna looked at him. He gestured upward and mouthed out a single word in warning for what will definitely come.

_ Avalanche. _

The glimmer of hope flickered dangerously. Anna squeezed his hand back. "... How long do you think we have?"


	7. A Case of Necessity

In the moments following the explosion, Ralph gingerly sidled up to the hole, still clutching his bad arm. Elsa found this particularly foolish of him, and her animosity temporarily vanished as she considered calling him back from the danger. But it turned out the man knew what he was doing after all – he stuck his face right up to the hole and shouted in a rage that sent her cringing.

_"TAMORA, IF YOU GET US KILLED, I SWEAR TO KINGDOM COME I WILL BREAK OUT OF THE AFTERLIFE JUST TO GET BACK AT YOU-"_ He cut himself off, stunned. "What the…?"

Ralph whisked his head back and forth, from Elsa, to the outside, and back again. With a look on his face like he was trying to make sense of something, he asked, "Do you have a twin?"

Ralph had to get out of her way rather quickly after that; Elsa practically leapt over, blocks of ice sprouting from the ground to form stairs to put her at eye-level with the window. She tucked the ice crystal into her coat pocked – there was no use for it now with the snow and light being blinding enough, and she wanted both hands to better support the increasingly restless girl at hand.

And there was Anna, ruining her skirts as she ploughed purposefully through the mud. At the sight of her sister, Anna's face scrunched up into a convulsion of emotions, as if the girl did not know whether to be happy, relieved, or frightened all at once.

"Elsa, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. How about you? Did you get injured by-"

"I'm alright too. Elsa, hold on. There's no time." Anna had started feeling around the cracks in the rocks and scowled, failing to find any obvious weak spot in the chance she could break them free. "In maybe five minutes, this entire stretch will be covered in rocks and snow. Can you stop that from happening?"

The smile Elsa had been eager to wear never reached her face. "M-Maybe. I don't know. There're earth and rocks involved. And I couldn't prevent the blizzard. I-"

"It's okay," Anna said quickly. "But you need to get somewhere safe until it's over. Did you find the troll tunnels? According to Kristoff, his cousins built-"

"We're in them right now!"

"Good! Now, Kristoff said that they built checkpoints deep into the mountains to store their mining tools." A little crease appeared between her eyebrows, trying to remember all the little details. "They're fortified, so you'll be safe even if the outer tunnels start collapsing. Getting there's easy – it's like an hourglass. The mining tunnels converge the deeper you go into the mountain. All the tunnels are connected one way or another deeper in – you don't need to worry about dead ends."

Elsa memorized all this with a note to share these with her companions later. "Why couldn't Kristoff tell me this himself?"

"He's keeping an eye on the mountain further back. Monitoring the avalanche," Anna replied. "He…" Her face darkened exponentially. "… Elsa, we lost Sven."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What?"

"The ground was unstable before we even got here," Anna explained grimly. "When Marshmellow was blown to bits and you disappeared, everything started to collapse. It was all going so fast. And then the sled fell… Kristoff and I managed to jump out. Sven got dragged down."

Anna recognized the look on her sister's face and rushed to add, "Elsa, don't think that it was any of your fault. None of us could've predi-"

"ANNA!" Kristoff's voice pierced through the wind.

Anna flinched and spun around. But it turned out it wasn't about the avalanche – rather, his shout was to have her dodge out of the way of the thoroughbred mare galloping up to the cliff face. The rider swung off and, apologizing profusely, extended a hand to Anna to pull her out of a snow drift. He then scurried to the window between the rocks, clutching something tightly in his hand.

Ralph, who had been anxiously waiting for an opportunity to interrupt and remind them of Vanellope's condition, balked at the sight of Anna's replacement. "Felix!"

"Tammy went to fetch me the moment she knew she heard you yellin'," Felix said breathlessly. "What's going on with you, brother? Bust yourselves out and save us the trouble of lookin' for shovels! … Oh my land, what happened to your arm?"

There was a shout in the distance. "ONE MINUTE!"

Ralph started to speak quickly. "Felix, the kid's in trouble. You need to get her to the city."

Vanellope heard that. In fact, if she had been in better shape, she would have been participating since the past exchanges with her usual jibes and tomfoolery. But this time, she couldn't keep silent.

"Don't be a dumdum, Ralph. That hole's too small to pass through, and you can't do squat with that arm. But it's okay. I'll be fine, I'll just –"

"We can't get out of here," Ralph said, gesturing to him and Elsa. He stared sternly at the little girl. "But you can."

She lit up as if he had just presented the simplest solution in the world. "Oh yeah! All I have to do is glitch us a few feet and…"

He raised one of his big hands, and she trailed off into the silence.

"Not '_us_'. Just _you_." For a moment, Ralph glanced apologetically at Elsa, despite the woman completely clueless to what they were talking about. He spoke grimly. "Be honest with me, kid – do you think you can handle getting more than just yourself out of this predicament?"

Vanellope couldn't bluff her way through this – there was no time. "Then I'll stay. I'll stay here with you and… and…"

"Kid." Ralph tried a smile through all the pain and weariness. "Please. Give me one less thing to worry about."

There was the briefest of pauses. Elsa didn't know what was going on at this point – everything seemed to go even faster with a countdown. Then suddenly, Vanellope was gone. Correction – first it felt like the air had warped into strange rectangular shapes, flashing green before her eyes, and electricity buzzed through her fingers. And then the child, blankets and all, was gone.

An instant later, she could hear her sister shouting something, and Felix exclaimed in surprise.

"Vanellope?! Why – good golly, she's got a fever!"

As Elsa stared at her now empty hands with disbelief and wonder, for the first time in a long time, Ralph let out a loud laugh of relief.

"You take care of her, Felix!" he yelled.

There was something else happening while this was all taking place. It was gradual, so she hadn't noticed it at first, but then after Vanellope's disappearance, it was as if Elsa became more attuned to her immediate surroundings instead of what went on at the other side of the window. The mountain all around them trembled with a dangerously increasing persistence.

Kristoff's voice cried out. "ANNA, GET OUT OF THERE!"

"Elsa!" Contrary to her boyfriend's orders, the girl was back at the window, taking advantage of Felix's distraction to catch one last glimpse of the only family she had left. Even from their standpoint, Elsa could see the snowfall steadily piling upon her. There was going to be an avalanche indeed.

"Listen to him, Anna!" Elsa cried, hoping the volume masked her anxiety.

But Anna didn't listen to him nor her sister – not immediately, rather. Her eyes darted to Ralph, who had closed his eyes and leaned on the rock wall to take a breather, and on spur of the moment she came to a decision.

"Hey you!"

She grabbed the closest thing at hand and threw it to catch his attention. She wasn't expecting it to actually hit him, but right on the noggin it did. Ralph flinched.

"Take care of my sister!" she called.

He scowled at the brashness of the tone, but not at the content of the order. "Whad'you think I've been doing all this time?!"

Even so, his eyes lowered and settled on Elsa as if that was the first time he ever looked at her. He frowned and turned back to the window.

"Just give Felix a hand in getting Vanellope to the city, and we'll call it even!"

But Anna was gone by then. They all were.

The mountains shook more than ever and the storm tested how far their ears could handle its howling.

Elsa paid one last forlorn glance to what should have been their escape, then with a heavy heart turned her attentions back to Ralph. She hadn't realized it yet, but her apprehensions about him were gone now. So, when she saw him trying to bend over and pick up whatever it was Anna clocked him with, it was no longer difficult for her to step over and pick it up for him herself.

It was Felix's odd golden hammer, glowing brighter than ever. She was about to hold it out to Ralph, when suddenly a cloud of dust splashed down from the ceiling. It was if this was the cue for the smaller rocks and pebbles to start raining down.

Ralph urgently gestured back down the way they came. "You lead." He was so out of breath with fatigue and blood loss, he had to lean in uncomfortably close to be heard. "I'll keep up," he sounded appropriately. "Keep your hands over your head and don't look back. Honestly, I don't know where we're headed, but the farther away from the outside – from the avalanche -, the better."

Anna's words resounded in her mind. Quickly, Elsa responded to him while shuffling to widen the distance between them. "There're checkpoints deeper in the mountain – the trolls built them. They're safe!"

Ralph nodded grimly, settling the matter.

Once again, they ran. But it was different now. What had a few minutes ago been excited, hopeful running had now become frantic and desperate. Even boulders were beginning to topple down and chase them. And with the child gone, it was as if there was a barrier that Ralph did not have to keep up anymore. Now, he panicked freely.

"Hurry!" he roared.

There was no need to be telling her twice, and she was certain there were going to be blisters in the morning. Nonetheless, Elsa did her best and glued her eyes on the path directly ahead. Despite her ridiculous shoes, she neither stopped nor tripped once – they couldn't afford it.

Then, quite abruptly, they hit a dead end. Elsa wheeled around.

"What do we do?"

To her horror, the man seemed to be just in as much of a loss as she was. Elsa automatically brought her hands to her head, wishing to comb her hair back as she did when she stressed, and only then did they remember that one of them was still holding onto Felix's hammer.

It was still glowing – and it occurred to her that she had been using its golden light to lead the way just like she did with her ice crystal. Before that day, Elsa always believed that she would be the first and last magic user she would ever get to meet in her lifetime. But to her astonishment, after Vanellope's display and now with this hammer, she believed that she just encountered two more.

"C'mon," Ralph said miserably. "We'll have to backtrack. Stay near the walls, and-"

"Hold on," Elsa interrupted breathlessly. "You know Felix. Did you know he has powers?"

"What?"

"There's magic stored in this hammer – like my crystal a while ago. I… think I can get that magic out. And if there's enough force in here, we just might be able to force our way through."

"Felix's hammer can't bust us through those rocks," Ralph said bluntly. However, there was evident delight in his voice – Elsa wondered if he had gone mad. "You positive you can get the magic out?"

Her grip tightened around the hammer. It wasn't the same as her ice crystal, but at the same time, it somehow was. There was that electricity – a sort of life eager to spring into action the instant permission was given. Instinctively, Elsa knew how to give that permission. It wouldn't be in Felix's voice, but because she too had been born with powers – different, yes, but magic nonetheless –, holding it in her hand she just _knew_ that it would work.

"Yes."

Ralph grinned and made a quarter turn, his bad arm facing her.

"Right. New plan. Hit me with that hammer."


	8. Chipping Away

Ralph had to repeat himself because the first time he said it, she blinked at him like he had lost his mind. But what else could she do but humour him? Eventually, gingerly, the young woman tapped the magic hammer on his forearm.

The effect was instantaneous. The bloodstains disappeared, the bones fused whole and shifted into place, and the skin beneath his jacket knitted sealed. A comfortable warmness pulsed through his shoulders. A small gasp of relief escaped his mouth.

So this is what it felt like to be 'fixed'. Sweet mother of monkey milk, he felt better than ever. When all this was over, he needed to shake Felix's hand.

Opening and closing his hand to loosen the muscles, Ralph approached the blockage with an almost mechanical step. He threw back his arm and slammed a fist against the rock surface.

After that, Ralph was a blur – or more precisely, his arms were a blur, literally pounding a way through the earth as if it were made of crackers. It only took ten seconds to bust a way clean through the obstruction.

He turned to his wide-eyed companion, folding his arms and swelling with pride.

Outrunning the avalanche would be a cinch at this rate. Whenever they hit a road block or a dead end, Ralph simply forced a way through. Time seemed to behave much more reasonably now that all limbs were in working order; what had felt like hours seconds before flew by with ease. With free reign to let loose, it was like he didn't have a care in the world.

Well… that wasn't entirely true. He knew better than anyone that being able to 'wreck' things really well had the tendency to rub people the wrong way. And he was vaguely aware that somewhere over his shoulder, this lady – Elsa, according to her carrot-top sister – wouldn't stop staring at him with this odd expression. Was it fear? Disgust? Either of those reactions weren't unfamiliar to him.

Ralph pretended not to notice. He couldn't keep it up for long, though, for she let out a scream and forced him to turn back.

* * *

So an amendment to Elsa's earlier preconception. Apparently, she now knew three other people with powers.

This was _big _news. Her mind started spinning ever since the little girl revealed her abilities and hadn't stopped since. She had so many questions. How did they live with themselves? With their powers? Were there others still, others who could use magic with them? What about that woman earlier – the one that seemed the leader of the men in armour. Did she have abilities too?

But it wasn't the time or place. So she just kept her eyes trained on the back of Mr. Ralph's head, promising herself to find the answers the instant opportunity arose.

Maybe she should have been paying better attention. She was dimly aware of a sharp crack, and suddenly she was falling once again. Her lousy footwear had enough at the worst possible moment. It was one of the disadvantages of ice clothing, all things considered. She screamed, and held her hands out in front to catch her fall.

This was a mistake to do, although she didn't realize it. Her powers worked best through her hands, something she instinctively knew since childhood. But now that they were pinned down, it left her back vulnerable just as the ceiling decided to crumble directly above her.

And then Ralph appeared, looking thoroughly unpleasant as he struggled to, incredibly, hold up the ceiling with his bare hands. Elsa might have stared a second longer than she should have, for he started grunting at her to hurry up and get out of the way. Quickly, she reconstructed her shoe, picked up the hammer she dropped, and scrambled to her feet.

He waited for her to get a few paces ahead, and then released. The walls started falling once again and they were back to outrunning the avalanche.

* * *

And finally, _finally, _they hit one of the checkpoints. A stable, safe checkpoint.

At least, he thought they did. It was more of Ralph's intelligent guess, since it looked pretty much like the cavern he regained consciousness in. Their only clue was the equipment they left behind – although they didn't look in the standards of manmade. Indigenous rocks carved into elongated arcs - pickaxes, maybe – and sacks weaved from dried vegetation cluttered the corner.

Ralph guessed that these 'trolls' must have gotten out sometimes to fetch such materials. Or maybe they got the leaves from their relatives in the woods or something. After all, if they could live in mountains, who's to say there couldn't be more of them hiding in plain sight?

Well, dirt and rocks had stopped falling all over the place and that was all he needed to know to keep him happy. Another thing he needed to talk about with Felix – how the latter managed with all the falling debris in the workplace was beyond him.

"Pardon me…"

Ralph snapped out of it. He turned to the young woman, eyeing her cautiously. This was the moment of truth: the time most people would have formed an opinion about him now that they've witnessed his… talents. Would she handle it well, or was this going to add another challenge in this already exhausting trip back to the surface?

She looked pretty composed though, and only a tad out of breath. "Thank you… for back then."

He paused, surprised. "... Don't mention it."

Another pause.

"You're really going through with the promise you made to my sister?"

Ralph blinked. Oh right, there was that. He pondered over this as he found the most comfortable-looking boulder in the vicinity, depositing the shield and satchel on top of it. "Yeah," he decided in a tone that surprised even him. "I guess I am. For Vanellope's sake," he added.

"So your shoulder… is it, um…"

Incredible, she was speaking actually making conversation with him! "Healed?" Ralph completed, lifting an amused eyebrow.

She nodded.

"Well, yeah, thanks to Felix's hammer." Since she was actually acting more like a human and not as eerily silent anymore, he figured to keep on going.

"It's not actually the hammer that owns the magic – Felix sort-of stores it in there every so often, so he won't go off fixing every single thing he touches. How that can be a problem though, I have no idea. But the hammer won't last forever without him charging it. Notice how it's not as shiny anymore?"

He was right, Elsa realized. Since the hammer healed Ralph's arm, its golden glow had diminished, just barely illuminating the cavern. She took out her ice crystal. The lighting increased, albeit everything looked a little greenish now.

Ralph was now looking at her crystal with mild interest. "So that thing… you made it?"

"… Yes. In a manner of speaking." She didn't mention that it used to be part of a twenty foot ice monster.

"Well, I've never seen anything like that before."

Elsa tensed up. "What do you mean?"

"Your crystal and Felix's hammer seem like the same thing – they glow and can hold your magical charge, right? But Felix's dad couldn't just 'make' the hammer like you did with that crystal. He had to order a special ore, and got it shaped into a hammer. No other magic user I know can do that."

The light grew a little brighter – once again, agitation.

Ralph shrugged and looked away, taking a seat next to his items. "It's pretty neat, that's all."

The sentence ended just as his stomach decided to grumble. Loudly. He made a face and reached for his bag. "You hungry?" he called to Elsa, eyes downward as he rummaged through the contents.

He didn't see her accidentally break into a little smile, amused by the timing of his stomach. She quickly controlled the grin, however, as her parents' stories about bad guys and poison resurfaced once again. "… Not really."

"Well, I am," Ralph declared. He fished out a sizable cloth pouch, tied at the top with a string. He untied it, peered inside, and smiled. "Typical. She baked cookies. Hope they're still good though."

He put these aside and tried searching some more in the bag. There was nothing else edible available – he had half an apple left in a side pocket, but it had spoiled in the cold.

"Only cookies then," he said discontentedly. Momentarily, he shrugged and sighed. "Could be worse."

He took out three of the palm-sized cookies (Elsa's palm – not his, of course) and ate them quickly, one after the other. "Not bad. The kid's getting better."

Ralph glanced at Elsa. 'Longingly' wouldn't even begin to describe the way she was looking at the cookie bag. "You sure you don't want any, lady? The ki – Vanellope's gotten more creative. There's oatmeal, chocolate chip, and twice as many sprinkles as last time."

In a moment of weakness, Elsa took a sharp breath and a step forward. "Did you say 'chocolate chip'?"

Ralph grinned and picked out the cookies he liked best, leaving the chocolate ones. He tied up the bag once again, not once forgetting how much this girl liked keeping her distance. "Think fast!" With a gentle flick of his wrist, he tossed it over.

The cookies flew right over Elsa's head and hit the ground. Naturally, her hands were still holding onto the hammer and the crystal. Unthinking, she shot him a look of indignation – _how dare he_. Those were her cookies!

Ralph groaned loudly and brought his hands to his face. He peered out between his fingers, suddenly afraid for his life. She said little, but was surprisingly good at glaring daggers. "… I'm an idiot."

At those words, Elsa's gaze softened. Was this man really a 'bad guy', like in her parents' stories? At each passing second, she found that harder and harder to believe.

"No, you're not an idiot," she said gradually, exchanging the light sources to one hand and using the other to pick up the bag. "Just… a little excitable. Like my sister, Anna."

"That's putting it lightly," he said miserably. "They called me 'Wreck-it' for a reason. With these hands, I can break anything. I ruined a _cake_ last year!"

Elsa considered this. "My sister destroyed a cake too. On my birthday."

"Really?" Ralph removed his hands from his face disbelievingly. "… Your sister and I would get along."

"I think you would," Elsa admitted. "She's much more sociable than I am. And… she doesn't take my parents' instructions as seriously… when it comes to talking with strangers."

At that, Ralph finally understood. "_Stranger Danger_, huh?"

She nodded again.

"Is that why you were looking at me like I murdered someone when I woke up?"

"Pretty much." Elsa flushed. "Well no, that is… Your appearance misled me as well."

Funnily enough, Ralph didn't look the least offended by this. Actually, he seemed rather intrigued. "Okay, be straight with me, lady. What was your first impression of me, really?"

She stared. "You really want to know?"

"I really do. I know that people always say things about me behind my back. The kid calls me things too, but since it's her I can't take any of it seriously. It'd be a change to hear it to my face. Or you're afraid that I'll try to kill you over it?" Ralph said with a twinkle in his eye.

Elsa purposely focused all her attentions on getting the cookie bag open, trying to avoid spilling the newly-formed crumbs. "If you must know… I thought you were a forty year old lunatic who kidnapped an innocent little girl. And since you were covered in blood, I thought you must've killed her entire family while at it."

She lifted her eyes and found Ralph returning her gaze with visible distress.

"But I'm only thirty-one!" he exclaimed.

Elsa started laughing.

He was an odd one, but nothing like what she originally expected. It seemed, perhaps, they might get along with one another after all.


	9. Assessing the Situation

The first ten minutes of the refugees' arrival in the castle were utter chaos. The refugees – or 'Nicelanders', as they preferred to be called – insisted on having an audience with the king or queen of the place immediately to thank them for their hospitality.

Their requests, of course, had to be firmly denied.

What they got instead was Princess Anna, who showed up shortly sitting passenger on the horse of the Heropian commander. She greeted the Nicelanders at the courtyard, purposely leaving out any mention about the ice powers of the kingdom's queen. She didn't want them to make the connection between Elsa and Marshmallow right now - not right after it just tried to kill them.

This seemed to be enough for their satisfaction. The refugees allowed the castle servants to lead them off.

As they disappeared into the castle, Kristoff approached, having disembarked from Felix's horse before the other man hurried ahead to deliver Vanellope to a warm bed. He put a hand on Anna's shoulder as her forced smile melted away.

Now it was time to get started discussing more urgent matters.

* * *

Ten more minutes later, Felix returned to the Drawing Room of the East Wing in the castle, a worried crease on his brow.

"She's fast asleep," he reported, shuffling to his seat at the long, rectangular table. "The, uh… Mr. Olaf, I mean, said he'll look out for her."

Sitting at the head of the table, Anna nodded without really looking at him, her hands pressed to the bottom half of her face. Kristoff was at the fireplace, silently adding another log to the dying flames.

"Think it over again, Sergeant. I'm sure you can spare more people to…"

Seated a couple of chairs across, Calhoun pounded her hand on the table firmly. She had taken off the outermost layer of her upper armor – gauntlets and heavy chestplate lay to the side, revealing a muscular, slender frame clothed in chainmail.

"I can't dispatch more than a dozen men out to search those mountains. Scratch that – I _won't _do it. My soldiers are beat just as much as the civilians are – they need time to rest and regroup if they're ever going to stop the Cybugs from invading this city… Your Highness."

"But the monsters… 'Cybugs'," Anna pointed out insistently. "_You_ said they can't cross the mountains right now. Not with the blizzard around."

"Cybugs are tough abominations," Calhoun dismissed. "Those bloodsuckers will find a way somehow to haul their numbers to this side. And mark my words, princess: they will feast on your crops, houses, and every man, woman, and child in your city until this place is nothing more than a smoking wasteland. Trust me. You'll need my troops rested."

She steadied herself and glanced at Felix. The latter seemed lost, staring at the dancing shadows in the place as he contemplated unsaid things.

"If it's any consolation," she added, turning back to Anna. "Yours truly will be overseeing the rescue efforts. Your creature-crazy ice queen and your reindeer aren't the only ones we've got to search-and-rescue for, after all."

Anna narrowed her eyes at the way the woman addressed her sister, but ultimately bowed her head in defeat. "… Alright. I'll take what I can get. Thank you."

Felix tore his eyes away from the fire. "By the way, ma'am," he said. His abruptness silenced the rest; he had the room's full attention. His expression was troubled.

"If I can be so bold to ask… What's stopping you from sending out your own troops, if you feel we'll be lacking the manpower?"

The young woman visibly stiffened up. Her eyes lowered to the tablecloth, her lips pursed and her brow crinkled up. But eventually, her shoulders sank and she lifted her eyes pleadingly towards Kristoff.

"Do you think... you can tell them why people treat Elsa the way they do?"

His gaze softening, Kristoff sighed and pulled up the chair to Anna's left. His eyes looked bloodshot, but everyone else had the good sense not to comment on it. "Alright, so... you've noticed our queen has pretty unique talents, right?"

"Manipulating ice and those blasted snow creatures," Calhoun responded with a chilly nod. "Continue."

"Well… people here don't usually have those talents. Humans, I mean. Our queen's probably the first sorceress we've had in the last century. Grandpapi told me stories – 'legends', if you go asking around. Human magicians brought a lot of destruction in their wake back then. They were mostly accidents, but even so..." He folded his arms, knowing Anna wouldn't like the next things he had to say.

"Even so, people got angry. And scared. So the witch trials started, and over the years hundreds of men and women suspected of having magic were..."

He trailed off as Anna's expression darkened and she shook her head.

"Executed," Anna finished softly.

There was silence. Then, feeling the weight of the matter weighing now more than ever, she continued with her own story.

"A few months ago, Elsa accidentally brought upon an eternal winter on Arendalle. It was the middle of summer - no one was ready for it, and things got bad really fast. She managed to stop it all before anyone got seriously hurt, but... you can imagine not many people were happy with what happened. I didn't notice it at first, but they _were._ And they'd talk about her on the streets, saying things like how she shouldn't..."

Anna exhaled and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Elsa's been terrified of her powers all her life. Only now she's just barely come to terms with it. She doesn't know about the unrest because _I've_ been doing what I can to make things easier for her. I've begged her advisers to give her a second chance. I've got everyone wearing winter themes for months - maybe it would make the people would warm up to Elsa. I even commissioned for her _crown, _snowflakes and all, so she'd be more confident with her herself.

"But it's just barely enough."

Anna buried her face in her hands.

"If word gets out to Arendalle's citizens that Elsa's missing, they'll think she's abandoning them again. If we tell them about Marshmallow, it'll probably make things worse. First an eternal winter, now a snow monster? They'll see her as a danger more than ever. And they might... That's why, as much as possible, we've got to keep her disappearance a secret. My sister's all I have left."

Felix and Calhoun were stunned. After a while, they shared a look.

"I'll have a word with the Nicelanders," Felix said kindly, taking it upon himself to brighten up the mood. "You have my word my folks won't breathe a word to yours about what exactly attacked them in the mountains. We'll say it was wolves or somethin'."

"Can you trust them?" Kristoff said doubtfully.

Felix nodded fiercely. "They'll listen once I tell them what's at stake. And they won't make a big deal about her powers, I think. Where we come from, you get to see almost as many magical as normal folk strutting about."

Calhoun nodded. "I'm probably the only one in our silly little group that doesn't have any Abracadabra tricks to speak of."

Felix reached out and patted her forearm. "You've got personality and firepower, sweetums. It's not like you need magic anyway."

"Wait a minute," Anna exclaimed. She peered carefully Felix. "You have powers too?"

Sheepishly, Felix explained to them the scope of his abilities, including the hammer Anna assaulted Ralph with earlier. His wife, in the meantime, took the opportunity to take out her firearm and clean it up a little, sticking the tip of a dagger to scratch out the dirt in hard-to-reach places.

"But to be honest," Felix said eventually. "I'm actually glad Ralph has pop's hammer right now. Sure bet they'll have a better use for it than I will, and it gives us a little silver lining to look at. I just hope he's figured out how to use it."

"Silver lining, huh…"

Kristoff bowed his head. He lifted it soon after, a little hope dawning on his features. "Yeah, I guess there is a silver lining to look for! Like, what are the odds I'd get separated from Sven in a place that has troll tunnels? He'll know how to manage on his own down there – we've been living with trolls all our lives! I can't just give up on him now."

"That's the spirit, fella," Felix said encouragingly.

Anna, seeing the expression on Kristoff's face, managed to let out a genuine smile for herself as well. "Sven's on a whole another level from other reindeer. You're right, we've got nothing to worry about."

"… I beg to differ."

They all turned their heads to Calhoun. She had gone very, very pale. "Troll tunnels?" she asked. Her voice was down to an angry whisper and her entire body trembled.

Kristoff nodded slowly, pushing his chair further away from the table as casually as possible, just in case he ever felt the need to run away as fast as he could.

"How far do they go?"

"A-All the length of the mountains, I guess. Grandpapi's pretty sure they've been around for the last seven hundred years. Anna, why is she looking at me like that?"

Calhoun put her weapons aside and laid her fists on the table, squeezed so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Anna frowned anxiously. "Does it matter?"

Calhoun didn't answer.

"Tammy?" Felix leaned forward worriedly. He examined the look on her face, and the young repairman who knew her better than anyone began to realize just what could make his beloved react this way.

The pieces came together. He paled as well.

"Oh my land."

Calhoun got to her feet, strapped on her gear, and retrieved her weapons. She was out the door without a word or a glance to anyone.

Anna rose as well, growing more concerned by the second. "What is going on?!" she demanded exasperatedly.

"She's going to prepare her troops," Felix croaked. He took off his hat and twirled it in his hands, sinking into his chair.

"You mean the dozen men for the search?"

"No." Felix shook his head grimly. "All of them. Cybugs are natural diggers, ma'am. If they find their way into those tunnels… this city'll be smack in the middle of a warzone in a matter of hours."


End file.
